People's Posts and Telecommunications News:

This year marks the 30th anniversary of China's connection to the internet. Could you please provide an overview of the key achievements in China's internet development over the past 30 years? What measures will be taken in the future to further promote its development?

Zhao Zhiguo:

I'll answer this question. Thank you for asking. On April 20, 1994, China opened its first 64K international dedicated line, achieving full functional connection with the internet and becoming the 77th member of the internet community. Thirty years have flown by, and the day after tomorrow, April 20, will be the 30th anniversary of this historic moment. Over the past 30 years, China's internet development has achieved significant accomplishments, providing a solid foundation and strong support for accelerating new industrialization and boosting its strength in manufacturing and cyberspace. These achievements can be summarized in five aspects: large scale, strong foundation, wide application, favorable environment, and extensive cooperation. Specifically:

First, in the aspect of scale, the comprehensive strength of the industry has continuously improved. By the end of 2023, the number of registered websites exceeded 3.8 million, the number of internet users reached 1.09 billion, and the internet penetration rate was 77.5%. From January to February this year, China's internet business revenue reached 246.3 billion yuan, up by 7.6% year on year, with total profits reaching 16.97 billion yuan, up by 6.5% year on year. According to estimates from relevant institutions, the market value of Chinese internet businesses is nearly 10 trillion yuan, with nine companies ranked among the top 30 global internet companies by market value. Their international competitiveness has been significantly enhanced.

Second, in the aspect of strong foundation, China's network facility has reached a global leading position. China has built the world's largest network infrastructure with advanced technology, fully completed IPv6 transformation, with the number of country code top-level domain registrations being the highest in the world. A comprehensive, multi-layered, and multi-dimensional network interconnection architecture is rapidly taking shape, and the quality of network services is advancing towards world-class levels.

Third, in the aspect of wide application, the role of integration and empowerment is evident. In the field of daily life, applications such as instant messaging, mobile payments, and ride-hailing have flourished, exploring new spaces for digital life. In the field of production, 5G applications have been integrated into 74 of the 97 major categories of the national economy, and the industrial internet has covered all 41 major industrial categories.

Fourth, in the aspect of favorable environment, the industrial ecosystem and order are continuously improving. The new regulatory system is continuously strengthened, significantly enhancing the compliance of business operations, the openness of the industrial ecosystem, and the robustness of security measures. The comprehensive service system that benefits the public and enterprises has gradually improved, and the protection of user rights is effectively strengthened.

Fifth, in the aspect of extensive cooperation, mutually beneficial cooperation continues to deepen and become more practical. China is deeply involved in global digital governance and international rule-making, promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and practically carrying out all-around cooperation in digital transformation to share the dividends of digital economic development with other countries.

Next, regarding internet development, we will focus on the following three aspects of work:

First, we will stick to innovation-driven development and foster new quality productive forces. We will step up the construction of a new type of information infrastructure, systematically make plans to realize breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields, and promote the R&D and application of frontier technologies such as 6G, the next-generation internet, and quantum communication.

Second, we will adhere to the integration of the digital economy and the real economy and accelerate the new type of industrialization. We will promote the deep integration of AI and manufacturing, further advance the large-scale application for "5G+industrial internet," and speed up building a modern industrial system supported by advanced manufacturing.

Third, we will adhere to reform and opening-up and continue to optimize the business environment. We will improve policies and systems, promote the modernization of the industrial supervision system and our capabilities, advance work-style rectification, and continue to improve the quality of our services. In addition, we will further open up the telecommunication market and stimulate the vitality of various market entities. Thanks.